The Northern Hardwood Ecosystem at Hubbard Brook in Relation to Other Forested Ecosystems in the World

Abstract

Forests and woodlands cover some 57 × 10⁶ km², which is about 38% of the total continental area or 11% of the earth’s surface. Despite this relatively small area, 92% of the earth’s plant biomass and 46% of its annual net primary production come from forests (Table 21). The 79.9 billion metric tons of dry plant matter produced (net) each year by forests exceeds the total net primary production of the oceans, even though the oceans are more than six times larger in area. The animal biomass in these forests represents 68% of the total found on continental land masses (Whittaker and Likens, 1973).